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Catch 'em while you can – the Sydney six-piece is coming home for a quick visit before heading back out to keep conquering the globe

Boy and Bear are no longer the new kids on the block – with two albums and hundreds of live shows under their belts, they've streamlined their sound as well as their approach to life on the road. “It’s taken five years but we’re finally used to it,” vocalist and guitarist Killian Gavin explains to Time Out. “It comes down to existing, playing and not going crazy.”

The Sydney-based six-piece’s second release, Harlequin Dream – recorded last year at the legendary Albert’s Studios – saw them embrace a folkier sound reminiscent of America and Crosby, Stills and Nash. Perhaps that explains why they found great success on the road in North America. “A highlight of this year was playing the Commodore in Vancouver. It’s like the Palais – that kind of prestige and reputation. So I can imagine [our Melbourne gig] will be similar.”

The name of the 11-date Get Up and Dance tour (it's the group's last Australian wing to promote the now year-old Dream) isn’t a lyric taken from ‘Bridges’ – a slow-burning, soulful number set to be the shows' opener. “I like to listen to records from start to finish. We work hard on our set lists to get a similar flow that comes through on the record, playing both old and new stuff.”

The shift away from the tangible music experience is one that’s felt by Gavin and his bandmates alike. “For me music has always been physical: growing up with cassettes, records and CDs. Now, with steaming services, there's obviously less emphasis on this. That’s why live performances are so important.” Not that he's too fazed. “As long as I can tour and play shows, I’m happy”. Given they still have 40 more shows to play across the world before taking some time off to working on a new album, it seems he'll be smiling for a while yet.